Memories of La Jolla Cove

Brandt's Cormorant - Phalacrocorax penicillatus
Brandt’s Cormorant on eggs at The Cove. La Jolla, California. San Diego County.

As I began my series on Birding Destinations I was mostly focused on places away from my home turf. It occurred to me it might be a disservice to birders who’ve helped me in connecting to places near and dear to them during my travels. Nature lovers not from my area, who might be interested in places to visit in the San Diego region might enjoy learning of some places in my own backyard. I resolve to correct this oversight with this, my first in a series about locations where I’ve enjoyed capturing images in Southern California.

The rocky coast near the La Jolla Cove has rewarded me every time I have visited there. Depending on the season, one might find shorebirds (plovers, sandpipers, whimbrels, tattlers, oystercatchers, more), gulls (Western, Heerman’s, more), terns (Elegant, Royal, more), cormorants (Brandt’s, Double-Crested, Pelagic), Peregrine Falcons, and pelicans.

I’m not a “sea watcher”, but many people set up scopes here and stare out to sea for hours on end, keeping track of birds a mile off shore. Shearwaters, loons, gulls, alcids, tubenoses and others are sometimes seen by the thousands.

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